Stillwater National Bank & Trust Co. v. Kirtley (In Re Solomon)

300 B.R. 57, 2003 Bankr. LEXIS 1298, 2003 WL 22318841
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 9, 2003
Docket19-10406
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 300 B.R. 57 (Stillwater National Bank & Trust Co. v. Kirtley (In Re Solomon)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stillwater National Bank & Trust Co. v. Kirtley (In Re Solomon), 300 B.R. 57, 2003 Bankr. LEXIS 1298, 2003 WL 22318841 (Okla. 2003).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

TERRENCE L. MICHAEL, Bankruptcy Judge.

THIS MATTER came before the Court for trial on October 24, 2002. Plaintiff Stillwater National Bank and Trust Company (“Bank”) appeared by and through its attorneys, Bryan Wells and Jared D. Giddens. Defendant Scott Kirtley, Trustee (“Kirtley” or “Trustee”) appeared pro se and with co-counsel, Richard Garren. *59 The Court received evidence from the parties. The Court also considered the facts stipulated to by the parties in the PreTrial Order filed in this action on October 11, 2002. Closing argument was submitted in the form of post-trial briefs, the last of which was received November 21, 2002. The following findings of fact and conclusions of law are made pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 7052 and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52.

Jurisdiction

The Court has jurisdiction over this adversary proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C.A. § 1384(b). 1 Reference to the Court of this adversary proceeding is proper pursuant to 28 U.S.C.A. § 157(a). This is a core proceeding as contemplated by 28 U.S.C.A. § 157(b)(2)(I).

Findings of Fact

Debtors, James and Carla Solomon (the “Debtors”), were the sole shareholders of Sabre International Inc. (“Sabre”), a closely held corporation formed in the late 1980s. Sabre was engaged in the business of distributing parts and supplies as well as making custom alterations to heavy machinery used in the pipeline construction industry. Sabre operated its business on certain real property (the “Commercial Property”) which it leased from the James M. Solomon and Carla D. Solomon Revocable Living Trust Dated January 13, 1995 (the “Trust”). Debtors created the Trust as part of their estate plan. The Commercial Property consisted of three tracts of land. According to James Solomon, the Commercial Property had a fair market value of approximately $2.1 million in 2000. At all relevant times, the Commercial Property was subject to mortgages held by Gold Bank (“Gold”).

Bank has been the principal operating lender for Sabre since 1995. At all relevant times, Sabre’s debt to the Bank was secured by blanket liens upon Sabre’s equipment, inventory, and all other assets of the company. In addition, the Bank has held a pledge of all of the voting stock of Sabre. Since at least February of 1995, Debtors and the Trust have personally guaranteed all of the obligations of Sabre to the Bank. These guarantees were unconditional, and allowed the Bank to pursue the Debtors directly for the payment of Sabre’s debt. 2

As of March 30, 2000, the obligations of Sabre to the Bank were in the sum of $8,833,220.56. At that time, Sabre was experiencing financial difficulty due to a downturn in the worldwide pipeline construction market and was in default of its obligations to the Bank. Sabre began talking with asset-based lenders about the possibility of refinancing its current loans. Sabre also talked with Bank and its other current lenders about restructuring debts *60 and payment schedules to ease some of the financial problems it was experiencing.

On March 31, 2000, Debtors, Sabre, the Trust and the Bank agreed to restructure a portion of Sabre’s obligations to the Bank. Under the terms of the restructure, Sabre executed and delivered a promissory note to the Bank in the principal amount of $850,000.00. The note was due and payable in full on April 30, 2000, one month after its execution. 3 Debtors and the Trust executed new unconditional guarantees of this obligation. 4 Bank did not advance any new funds to Sabre; instead, it applied the loan “proceeds” to the accrued interest on the existing debt, with the remaining amount applied to principal. 5 Additionally, the Debtors, through their Trust, granted the Bank a mortgage on one tract of the Commercial Property, which was properly recorded by the Bank on April 27, 2000. The mortgage operated to secure only the $350,000 [N]ote. Although this restructure arguably had the effect of bringing Sabre current on its loans with the Bank for a one month period, it did not reduce the obligations of either Sabre or the Debtors to the Bank. The only reduction in the debt owed to the Bank came about as a result of a payment by Sabre in the approximate amount of $10,000.00. The restructure did not cure any of Sabre’s financial ills. The records of the Bank reflect that Sabre continued to overdraft its corporate checking accounts, and that several checks were dishonored by the Bank due to insufficient funds. 6

James Solomon testified as to Debtors’ financial condition as of March 31, 2000. The Court received into evidence a balance sheet for the Debtors showing assets of $2,947,900 and liabilities of $10,823,000 as of March 31, 2000. 7 Mr. Solomon testified that this balance sheet provided an accurate picture of his financial condition on the date specified, and that no significant improvement occurred between March 31, 2000, and September 29, 2000. In response, the Bank offered as exhibits two *61 financial statements delivered to the Bank by the Debtors on December 31, 1999, and June 30, 2000. 8 Each of these exhibits shows the Debtors with a positive net worth of between $2.5 and $3 million; however, neither of these financial statements includes the Debtors’ liability to the Bank by virtue of their guaranty of Sabre’s indebtedness to the Bank. On the basis of the evidence before it, the Court finds that Debtors’ liabilities exceeded their assets on March 30, 2000, and September 29, 2000.

The summer of 2000 brought with it no changes in the fortunes of Sabre. It again fell in default on its obligations to the Bank, and its total debt to the Bank grew to in excess of nine million dollars. No other lenders came forward to provide Sabre with funds. On September 29, 2000, the parties agreed to a second restructure of Sabre’s debt. Under the terms of the restructure, Debtors and the Trust executed and delivered to the Bank a new promissory note in the sum of $612,721.42. 9 As security for the note, the Bank asked for, and received, an additional mortgage on all three tracts of the Commercial Property owned by the Trust. Not only did the mortgage secure the monies identified in the note, it also purported to secure “any other indebtedness of the Mortgagor [Debtors and the Trust] to the Mortgagee [Bank].” 10 The Bank recorded the mortgage on October 18, 2000. Once again, no new money was advanced by the Bank; instead, Bank credited the “loaned” funds to accrued interest and principal on the debt owed by Sabre to the Bank. The note executed on March 31, 2000, was satisfied in its entirety.

After this restructure, Sabre’s direct debt was reduced to $8,865,686.42.

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Bluebook (online)
300 B.R. 57, 2003 Bankr. LEXIS 1298, 2003 WL 22318841, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stillwater-national-bank-trust-co-v-kirtley-in-re-solomon-oknb-2003.